2014 Winter Newsletter

Winter 2014 30 years and up It’s time for the Masters Karate BC has literally exploded with opportunities for ʺmastersʺ age group athletes, and believe it or not, that’s people 30 years old and up. Sensei Ali Najafi with Kimya Najafi demonstrate board breaking in foreground. In the back ground are Warren MacLean with Nika Najafi — Photo by KNSKA member Karate in the Mall KimNik Shotokan Karate Academy represented Karate BC at the Willowbrook Shopping Centre in Langley as part of the Health and Fitness weekend in May. KimNik Karate Academy is proud to be a traditional and sport karate club building strong foundations that will help their athletes and practitioners enjoy our art as a lifelong skill. This club has a very family focus and promotes healthy families who like to stay healthy or make their connections stronger. As this well‐organized event was right after the BC Provincial championship, the six teams were able to perform their Kata and bunkai in public. Sensei Ali Najafi and his family also performed their family kata, a fun thing they always prepare for their Zone 3 tournament. Young but strong athletes of this club presented their Kihon, Kata and other skills in public with many audiences at this big shopping center on a busy Mother’s Day weekend. Dojo members were happy to represent their provincial karate organization in this great opportunity. As Karate BC Executive Director puts it, Wow!!! Our provincial championships have had only about 10 participants in the 35+ age group in the past few years but we have more than 800 members over the age of 30. So the board has gone out and sought opportunities for this age group to find ways to express themselves socially, educationally and in a competitive environment.  KBC has applied for, and been accepted, as a sport in the 2015 BC +55 Games in North Vancouver, Aug. 25‐29, 2015 We have over 200 members in this age category so we are hoping this event will provide an opportunity for those eligible to meet and (Continued on page 7) Karate BC NEWS In Memory of OʹSensei Tsuruoka, the Father of Karate in Canada Karate BC was saddened at the passing of OʹSensei Masami Tsuruoka, the Father of Karate in Canada, October 10, 2014 at the age of 85. OʹSensei was a teacher and mentor both in and out of the dojo. His dedication loyalty and passion affected thousands worldwide. He will be remembered in the hearts of many and in the karate legacy he leaves behind. Sensei Rick Penner of Kelowna represented Karate BC at O’Sensei’s memorial service. Fortius Athlete Development Centre Sydney Landing 2002A 3713 Kensington Avenue Burnaby, BC V5B 0A7 t 604.333.3610 f 604.333.3612 e [email protected] www.karatebc.org EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE President: Charles La Vertu [email protected] 1st Vice‐President: Karate Canada National Championships Karate Canada and Karate BC will be hosting the 2015 National Championships Jan. 30 – Feb. 1, 2015 at the Richmond Olympic Oval. This event will bring together high profile athletes and expects to draw spectators and participants from all over the country, as the nation’s best talent takes to the rings. This edition will have a very distinct flavor as it’s the last national competition before the Pan American Games Qualifier (March 2015 in Toronto) and it will be the last opportunity for athletes to earn points towards National Team selection and the opportunity to represent our country at one of the Karate BC Affiliations: Karate Canada Pan‐American Karate Federation World Karate Federation Canadian Sport Council most important multisport competitions Canada has hosted: the Toronto 2015 Pan American and Parapan American Games. We are seeking Volunteers to make this event the best it has ever been! If you would like to have a front row seat to all the action please to register and let us know your availability. Please share this with anyone you think would be interested. To sign up, please visit: https://
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c=0&w=1 Coaching Association of BC The Canadian Olympic Association BC Recreation and Parks Association Donna Gardecki [email protected] 2nd Vice‐President: Kurt Nordli [email protected] Secretary: Sarah Perez [email protected] Treasurer: Ken Corrigan [email protected] Membership: Andreas Kuntze [email protected] Directors‐At‐Large: Rick Penner [email protected] Brendan Flower [email protected] Paul Sexton [email protected] Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development 2 Newsletter Editor: Charles La Vertu Karate BC NEWS demonstration on Saturday was performed by Sensei Barry Gower’s Uechi Ryu students. On Sunday Sensei Akiro Sato performed a knife defence demonstration to the delight of all. The committee also created a commemorative Yearbook, compiled by President Charles La Vertu which was distributed to participants and spectators during the weekend. This book was very professionally done. Okinawan Eisa dancers 40th Anniversary By Dan Wallis A special thank you to our 40th anniversary committee for arranging special commemorative events as well as creating outstanding mementoes to mark this historic occasion for Karate BC. We started with Sensei Don Shapland’s seminar on The history and evolution of kata. Don Shapland The committee also arranged for an entertaining demonstration Saturday morning of Okinawan Eisa dancers. The tournament committee/
anniversary committee had Kerr’s Recognition Services Inc. create a special tournament medal commemorating 40 years for KBC. It is spectacular. Thank you to Sensei Mike Scales for arranging this event. On Saturday the audience was entertained with demonstrations by Sensei Shapland’s Thesshinkan kobudo students. Another very interesting Close to 30 participants heard some of the key advances in kata as seen through the eyes of the Okinawans. Very interesting. That evening a “trailer” of the DVD Otusan‐The Life of Masami Tsuroka was shown and 25 copies of the DVD sold. If anyone else would like a copy, please refer to the Karate Canada website or contact Dan Wallis for more information on purchasing a DVD. Uechi Ryu students demonstrate kata 3 Karate BC NEWS We are 40 and counting From 300 to 4,000 members in Canada, O’Sensei Masami Tsuruoka, Karate BC, then called the National Karate Association – British Columbia Branch, started with 300 members, mostly adults, peaked at around 4,600 and is now 4,000 strong, mostly young people. By Charles La Vertu President, Karate BC Karate BC is celebrating our 40th anniversary this year. This milestone was marked at our Provincials which saw 600 compete over two days in 80 divisions. Founding member Shihan Akira Sato notes that the first KBC tournaments had no weight categories and only one division with as many as 120 blackbelts competing in one ring. Former president Mark Stacey points out there were no women or kids. The BC Team has gone from three O’Sensei Tsuruoka and Charles La Vertu competitors in 1973 to more than 60 in 2014. This shows how far we have come from, when a group of dojo instructors got together in 1974 so that they and their students could compete against each other and on the national and international scene. Encouraged by the Father of Karate Our juniors outnumber our seniors by about two to one and males outnumber females at about the same ratio. In 1974 there were few females in our dojos, and the tournaments were for men only. BC members have had major influence nationally and internationally in the karate world, people like: Our first executive director, Sensei James Johnson, is a member of the National Karate Hall of Fame; Sensei Norma Foster is the first woman to be appointed to the World Karate Federation Referee Council; Founding member Dr. Chee Ling has served on the Canadian Olympic Committee and the WKF Medical Commission; Sensei Mark Stacey whose insistence on developing our policy manual helped set the tone for our organization for years to come; Sensei Dan Wallis, former National Karate Association and Karate BC president and current KBC executive director, brought stability to the national body; and Ling family at their family dojo in Delta. The picture includes five grandchildren (Ethan, Matthew, Alec, Tristan and James), son‐in‐law Marshall Cheng, daughters (Rassamee, Tanya, and Mee Lain), and Joan and Chee Ling. Son–in‐law Jim Scouras was absent. Not shown but active in karate in Washington DC are grandson Bodhi and granddaughter Meijin and mom Lisa Ling. Son‐in‐law is Pawan Patil. 4 The late Sensei Cal Moore helped create the karate component of the (Continued on page 5) Karate BC NEWS championships including the Ling sisters (Rassamee, Tanya, Lisa and Mee Lain), Shauna Escher (the three‐
time kata champ) and Sensei Poirier. We are 40 (Continued from page 4) British Columbia’s leadership in the sport has continued through the generations. Long Term Athlete Development program with Sensei Kraig Devlin. As president of the National Karate Association (now Karate Canada) Sensei Johnson accomplished many changes including changing the National dan ranking process so that people outside the major styles of karate could join the NKA. He was responsible for having karate athletes carded by the federal government, and because of his activities at the World Karate Federation and Pan‐American Karate Federation level, Canada is perceived as a model of gender equity by the rest of the world. Karate BC has historically provided opportunities for women to succeed in the sport, traditional and social conscience aspects of karate, and women in this province have pioneered much of Canadian karate that is taken for granted today. Shihan Chris Taneda was six‐time Canadian champion. Shihan Kaz Hashimoto won Gold in kumite, Gold in kata, Gold in team kata and silver in open kumite at the Pan American Championships in 1990 in Rio, Brazil. Hidetada Narumi the founding president of KBC. individual kumite and kata at the national championships in the same year. The first female head coach of a provincial team was Nicole Poirier. She was named Karate Canada Coach of the Year in 2013 and Karate BC Coach of the Year in 2011 and 2012. KBC female athletes have won many KBC was the first to allow females to compete; first in kata, then in kumite. It was female competitors from BC (Luba Baron, Marg Bogaert, Paulene Klee of Kitimat) who successfully lobbied the NKA to allow females to compete in kumite. The Uchiage family has been prominent on the national and international scene. Toshihide Uchiage, the 12‐time senior Canadian k a t a c h a m p i o n and five‐time Canadian junior champion, has medalled at the senior World Karate Federation and Pan‐American Karate Federation level as well as being a j unior PKF a n d Commonwealth champion. His sisters Hidemi and Sumi Uchiage are also prominent Karate athletes. Both are on the Canadian national team, and frequently alternate positions as the Canadian women’s national Kata champions. Geoffrey Newall, Jean Newall and John Sawal scored silver, the first time Canada has reached a final in team kata at the Junior Pan‐Am level. Other national and international champions from BC include Nao Nakatsuka, Don Sharp, Chad Edberg, Serey Sinn, Nancy Sham, Shaun Dhillon, Jusleen Virk, Kenneth Lee, Valentyna Zolotarova, Nigel Nikolaisen, Victoria Barusic, Cassy Schouten, Bernadette Alvarez and Brendon Ly to name a just few. The first female kumite champion of the NKA was Paulene Caton (Klee) of Kitimat. The first national and international (PKF) female official was Molly Hand (Legge) of BC. The first female world official was Norma Foster who is also one of the few competitors to claim gold in (Continued on page 11) Toshi Uchiage — John Barnes photo 5 Karate BC NEWS KBC to seek new Executive Director Treasurer to ensure the budget is adhered to. By Charles La Vertu Dan Wallis, our executive director for the last several years, would like to return to retirement, and teaching at his Campbell River dojo, and has notified the Karate BC board that he will be leaving us at the end of July. • Has cheque signing authority for the areas within his/her responsibility. A request for applications for the position of Executive Director will be going out in the New Year with a deadline of the end of April. A short list of candidates will be compiled in May, interviews to take place in June and the successful applicant to start at the beginning of July. This will enable Dan to mentor the new ED for the first month. Dan, who served on the board for 16 years, 10 as president, and as National Karate Association (now Karate Canada) president for two years, has been a tremendous asset to Karate BC and the board and I will miss greatly his thoughtful counsel, his insight and enthusiasm, not to mention the contacts he has established over the years. He has been a Karate BC member for 39 years. Dan Wallis Thank you Dan for your long and faithful service to karate‐do and to Karate BC. Below is the job description from the Policy Manual. Executive Director • Maintains accurate financial records, including signing off on bank reconciliation each month, ensuring all reports and records are accurately submitted in a timely manner, and working with the • Supervises Karate BC events: works cooperatively with BC Team coaches, BC Team manager, Tournament Director and others, to ensure all facilities, equipment, travel logistics, documentation and any other logistics necessary are secured for BC Team training, BC Team travel to Nationals, BC Team Squad Selection Tournament, Provincial Championships, Karate BC Annual General Meeting; and National Championships when Karate BC is hosting. • Attends required Karate BC meetings such as Executive and other committee meetings as required. • Works with the Provincial Sport Advisor to ensure Karate BC is in compliance with all policies to maintain the status as a core sport in the BC Winter Games. • Keeps an accurate record of members. • Acts as Karate BC’s liaison with various government bodies, Karate Canada, Pan American Karate Federation and the World Karate Federation. • Ensures the necessary insurance, loss prevention and disclosure waivers are in place to protect Karate BC. • Supervises staff • Provides long‐term planning in the above areas of responsibility. 6 Karate BC NEWS Masters (Continued from page 1) compete with others from around the province at this event. We plan to have kumite, kata, and and even the western states. The 55+ Games are somewhat limited in time and scope (only BC) but for the Kamloops event we plan to make it at least five days: three days of social and karate specific training (weapons, kata, style sharing, etc.) plus two days of events such as kata, kumite and weapons. This event will also be divided into novice, intermediate, advanced and advanced former champions categories. weapons kata events in three categories: novice, intermediate and advanced. We are hoping for between 40‐80 competitors. The BC Games for +55 is divided into 12 zones, unlike BC Games which is 8 zones. We also have Karate BC liaisons for each zone and contact details will be provided through an information package in the New Year. We are just beginning the planning for this event and would love to know if you are interested. Please feel free to send Dan Wallis a note indicating your interest.  KBC has applied for admission in the Kamloops Masters Legacy Games in Kamloops for the 35‐54 age group and they have accepted our proposal to be included in its inaugural Masters Games effective July 23‐26, 2015. This will be an event of at least national scope as we are inviting participation from across Canada, That last category speaks to the needs of our elite athletes at this age group who want to compete against those athletes who are still at the top of their game. submitted an application – the first sport to do so. At the World Masters Games in Torino, Italy, martial arts featured Judo, Tae Kwon Do and Karate, and Karate BC is hopeful a similar model will be accepted at the Americas Masters Event in Vancouver. KBC has been involved with the organizers for the last couple of years in hopes that this concept moves forward and now with the City of Vancouver a prime mover, the Games will be a GO. Announcement of the 20 sports should come early in January. Please let Dan Wallis or Thea Culley know that you are interested. Karate BC has more than 540 members in this age group. There will be no zone participations. It will be an open event which we hope will bring participants from across Canada and even the USA to enjoy a summer martial arts vacation in sunny and warm Kamloops. We are considering making this an open event as well, meaning non‐
Karate Canada members might be eligible to participate.  Sport BC announced it has partnered with the City of Vancouver to host the Americas Masters Games in late August or early September, 2016. And there is the possibility that karate will be included in the Vancouver games. Karate BC has 7 Logistically and planning‐wise these are good events for us. The 55+ BC Games, Kamloops Legacy Performance Games and the Americas Masters will take care of the infrastructure, facilities, etc. for the events. We will supply karate equipment, officials and participants and competitors. Karate BC NEWS Karate kick 4800 metres above sea level! So grateful my sport has brought me to this beautiful place! Competed in the Pan‐American karate championships Valérie’s unforgettable experience By Valérie Doyon In late August this summer, I took part of the Pan‐American Karate Championships held in Lima, Peru. Being my first competition outside of the country, I was at the same time nervous and excited. I competed on the second day of competition, in the girls 16‐17 ‐59kg kumite division. There were 17 athletes in my division, my biggest division yet. I fought Kelsey Silverman from USA and unfortunately didnʹt win the match. Due to the single‐elimination repechage nature of the event, my opponent did not make it to finals and therefore I did not have the chance to fight again. As it was my first Pan Am, I was Valérie and mother Chantal Rousseau at Machu Picchu certainly not disappointed with my performance. I learnt the different fighting styles of South Americans and will use 8 what I learnt to improve and become a better competitor at my upcoming competitions. (Continued on page 9) Karate BC NEWS Valerie in Peru (Continued from page 8) The highlight of the competition was the lively spirit and energy in the stadium. I enjoyed the many cheer‐
offs the Canadian team and I participated in with the other countries. Most importantly, I had the chance to meet hundreds of other athletes from over a dozen countries. With the help of many hand signals, I managed to have conversations with many teens who share the same passion for the sport. Valérie Doyon works out with Nicholas Rivest in Lima, Peru I exchanged various Canadian souvenirs for many t‐shirts from other countries and still keep in touch with a few friends from Chile, Mexico, and Brazil I met during the event. My mother, Chantal Rousseau, and I took the opportunity to visit Peru for nine days before the competition as well. We hiked the Lares trek and visited Cusco, Matchu Picchu, Aguas Calientes, Ollantaytambo and many other small Peruvian towns. I loved the culture and the food was delicious. This trip was an unforgettable experience and has changed the way I see the world. I appreciate much more the luxuries Iʹm granted in Canada knowing that most people like the ones I met in Peru live without running, clean water and electricity. Iʹd like to thank Karate BC and all the amazing BC Team coaches for their continued support in my athletic endeavors throughout my competitive career. (Valerie is a member of the BC and Canadian National teams.) 9 Karate BC NEWS Congratulations Shakiba Fadaie of the KimNik Shotokan Karate Academy was selected Junior Coach of the Year at the BC Winter Games. She is seen here with Karate BC’s Winter Games liaison Sensei Fernando Correia. BC Team’s athlete representative on the High Performance Committee Derek Chan learns how it feels to be the lightweight on Team Canada — at Universum Science Centre in Bremen, Germany. Chan also took gold in the ‐60 kg kumite at the 2014 Mexico Open Karate‐Do Championships in Saltillo, Mexico. 10 “It was such an honour to work with an inspiring team of coaches/athletes,” she said. Karate BC NEWS Congratulations Sensei Tom Mah and Sara Grady, married in September Karate BC First Vice‐President Donna Gardecki demonstrated kata during a lull in the 40th anniversary Provincials We are 40 (Continued from page 5) The study of karate requires an enormous amount of time. It is a way of life that requires perseverance and commitment and, for those who wish to test themselves against the best nationally or internationally, considerable funds with a strong commitment from parents, spouses and friends. Karate BC is very proud of the success of these young women and men, and salutes the hard work and dedication of all our athletes. The competitions have grown with an emphasis on safety of the athlete through better, more technical training and coaching and more professional officiating. And our officials continue to upgrade their credentials. For example, Trevor Walmsley of Shito‐
ryu and Valentyna Zolotarova of Hayabusa Karate obtained their Pan American licence at the PKF Senior Championship in Lima, Peru earlier this year. Matt Bickel who got engaged to Bryanne Folz We are a volunteer organization and over the years our volunteer base has increased significantly for which we are grateful. Sato sensei points out that there were no fences or walls between all the Karate BC dojos and members at the beginning. This is still true, and that has made our association the envy of all provincial/territorial sports associations in Karate Canada. It is a tribute to all who came before us. 11 Valentyna Zolotarova for the latest addition to her family, Andrew Karate BC NEWS Considering that WUKO (now WKF) had initially added women’s individual kata to the 1980 world championships in Madrid and then added three weight classes of women’s kumite at the 1982 world championships in Taipei, Canada seemed somewhat behind the times. Karate BC’s first ladies Norma Foster honoured During the 2014 Senior World Championships in Germany, she received a certificate of appreciation “in recognition of over 20 years of excellence in refereeing and loyal dedication to the growth and development of WKF Karate‐Do”. Kata competition at the time comprised three rounds with scorecards. If you made it into the second round, the score from the second round was added to that of the third and final round and the winner was the athlete with the highest aggregate score derived from the last two rounds. Here is the story of Karate BC’s first ladies: In terms of team events, women could participate only in mixed team kata. It worked. The finals of the female individual competition at the 1983 provincial championships was just as exciting, and ran concurrently with those of the men for the first time and contained double the number of participants. The World Karate Federation has acknowledged the achievements of Sensei Norma Foster, one of Karate BC’s women to fight for inclusion of women into what was a man’s world. Back in the dark days of the early 1980s team kata and team kumite competition for women did not exist in Canada and women’s individual competition at both provincial and national levels was limited in terms of officiating quality, numbers of athletes and the absence of weight classes. However, Norma Foster recognized this and started a campaign to increase the numbers of women participating in Karate BC competition, to be officiated by the same level of officials as the men, and to have provincial and national team kata and kumite divisions for women. officiated at competitions because it was normal behavior at the time for all black belts to help out after their competition was over in the morning. Of course, all that was needed was a pair of grey pants and a shirt and tie. Shoes were not needed. No women were on the board of Karate BC and no women ran clubs. This meant that if you went into the final round of eight athletes with the lowest score, you were most likely going to finish 8th. Foster proved that was not so by entering the final round with the lowest score, being the first to perform and achieving a silver medal. This showed for the first time in the history of KBC kata competition, that the odds could be beaten. (Continued on page 13) Women with black belts usually 12 Karate BC NEWS First ladies (Continued from page 12) How? By scoring higher than the athlete who had achieved the highest score going into the final round who performed last. That year, Ingrid (Bischoff) Sheere took the gold, but Foster had in fact beaten the gold to achieve a silver and earn a spot on the provincial team along with Luba Baron (Chito Ryu). exercise the judge licences she had paid for and earned twice (once at the Fukuoka Women’s’ World Cup and again in Mexico City). This paved the way for other women around the world who were interested in officiating to aim as high as they wanted. Ten years later in 2000, Foster became WKF Referee A and Judge A, another first for women and in 2005 she was the first woman to be appointed to the WKF Referee Council, where At the 1990 WKF world championships in Mexico City she became the first woman in the world to achieve WKF judge licences for kata and kumite, at the cost of being publicly forced out of the ring by a member of the WKF Referee Council because women were “not allowed to judge men”. After inflicting such total humiliation, the WKF RC could not find any rules regarding this issue in their statutes and they had no choice but to apologize and permit her to fully Molly also spoke Spanish, and many ladies in Pan America today remember her. Molly became the first female Chair of the Karate BC officials’ committee in the mid 1990s. Dulcie Oikawa, 2nd degree black belt (Shiseikai) was the first woman in the province to establish a karate club only for women during the mid‐
1980s. Thereafter, Scheer (JKA), Foster (JKA) and Sarah Sato (Shiseikai) formed the first women’s kata and kumite women’s teams in BC and in Canada and then other provinces quickly followed suit. This team dominated BC and Canadian individual and team women’s competition for the next three to four years and made a major contribution to the BC overall aggregate outcomes at national competitions. Foster went to the 1988 PKF championships in New Orleans to participate as an official and was appalled to find that she was the only woman in a room full of people who had graced many a cover of Black Belt magazine. Molly Legge arrived in Vancouver as a 2nd degree black belt from Fort St. John and joined Shiseikai. She participated as an athlete in KBC competition in all kata and kumite events and also developed an interest in officiating, becoming the first woman in Pan America to achieve PKF Referee and kata judge qualifications. Suzanne Jean, 1st degree black belt (JKF Wado Kai) more recently established Fit4Defense, a program that initially set out to prevent bullying in schools that has now spread to group such as seniors, corporate workplaces, high‐risk youth, primary and secondary schools and jails. Molly Legge her efforts to render the examination process more transparent and objective remain evident to this day. More than 20 women now have WKF qualifications worldwide. More recently she was the first woman in Canada to become Chair of the National Officials’ Committee. In her style group, JKF Wado Kai, she remains the only woman in the world to have achieved 7th degree black belt and is the first woman in Canada to head a Karate Canada‐approved style organization. 13 Karate BC has historically provided opportunities for women to succeed in the sport, traditional and social conscience aspects of karate. We cannot forget that many compassionate and visionary men were involved in making that happen. Thanks to these circumstances, women in this province have pioneered much of Canadian karate that is taken for granted today. These are only a few stories, but many more women in Karate BC have overcome remarkable adversity over the past 40 years simply because they are passionate about karate … just ask them! Karate BC NEWS Karate BCʹs successful coaching and support team from left: High Performance Committee chair and coach Jason Farquharson, coach Peter Stoddart, Head Coach Nicole Poirier, coach Mike Ditson, coach and team manager Pam Ross, team chiropractor Dr. Bo Gregson, and kata coach Junya Yamamura ‐‐ Sarah Perez photo Year End Review Working together BC TEAM PROGRAM SEASON 2014‐2015 By Nicole Poirier, Karate BC Team Head Coach Have you ever noticed that our President, Charles La Vertu, signs his formal communications with “In Harmony”? That pretty much sums it all up. Our President may seem to be gentle smiling one but somehow he has got us all working together and it’s showing. I feel humbled by all the help and the support received from staff in the Karate BC Office, the Executive Committee, the High Performance Committee, the Tournament Committee, the Officials Committee and the Coaching Development Committee. There are key people in these committees that have done considerable work in support of the BC Team. Thank you for your cooperation and dedication. You are the team behind the BC Team and your help has pushed us forward to higher levels. Many of us longtime members have been talking for years about increasing collaboration between committees. We often spoke of the BC Team program to be a platform of development for athletes, coaches, officials and more. Receiving their Karate‐Gi sponsored by Mikado from left are Jacob Mand, Nicolo Wakelin (receiving on behalf of his sister Angie Wakelin), Guillaume Claude and Bryana Spur — Peter Stoddart photo 14 Since we are working more in collaboration with various committees, our team’s performance and development has increased (Continued on page 15) Karate BC NEWS BC Team (Continued from page 14) I would like to give recognition to our trainers/dojo instructors/senseis that send their students our way. Your continuous support and guidance in their development is noticeable. This year in particular, their skills set is much more refined. Not only the long‐term BC athletes but even the young 12‐13 caught our attention. Congratulations on work well done. Let’s take a closer look at our season since September before we all take a few days with family and friends for the Christmas Holidays. Identifying Talent Winter Games was this year’s event for talent identification Jacob Mand, Angie Wakelin, Bryanna Spur and Edwin Gonzalez were the recipients of free training with BC Team and a karate‐gi, sponsored by Mikado, for the 2014‐15 season. Other athletes that caught our attention were: Steven Tran, Matthew Cheng, Stephanie Zaborniak, Maansi Virk and Michael Plunkett. Most of the athletes listed above are now members of the BC Team Squad and some will be attending Nationals in the 12‐13 division and others, the 14‐15 divisions. As one of our scouted athletes dropped‐out, the coaches decided to give those benefits to another young athlete. Guillaume Claude was competing at Selections just a few weeks after his father’s death. He competed and he was not selected. He participated at 15 team training with enthusiasm the next day. The coaches approached Guillaume and offered him this opportunity as we recognized and value his ability to continue advancing in life, even though life may seem unfair at times. Besides recognizing talent for competition, we also like to recognize other talents, such as character. Guillaume Claude is now an active BC Team Squad member. He shows up on time, he is focused, eager to learn and participates with enthusiasm. The coaches are pleased to have him on the squad. Guillaume is a terrific athlete. Needless, to say we had difficulties taking good pictures during our November jammed‐packed training. ALS Canada BC Team collected $82 from the Ice Bucket Challenge. We could have done better but everyone put in a $1 donation. We did not know until the October training that Guillaume Claude’s father was diagnosed with ALS a few months prior his passing. There’s a video of the challenge that was taken at our September training. The funds collected were sent to ALS Canada. Sorry Norma Foster, but you are the only one that popped up in my head at the time of challenging someone. Thank you for your donations. You can still make donations by going to www.als.ca September Training Our first team training highlighted two guest coaches. Antonio Oliva Seba, International Kumite Coach, who has been consulting with BC Team for several years. Akira Fukuda, USA Team Kata (Continued on page 16) Karate BC NEWS More officials, more coaches, more volunteers and more athletes are involved. Thank you all for your involvement. Special thanks to Andreas Kuntze, Dan Wallis and Kurt Nordli for all the extra details that needed to be ironed out, there were quite a few of them; and we were able to finish about two hours ahead of schedule. Great work! Dick Grant photo Karate BC team member Jusleen Virk finished in the top five in female ‐50 kg kumite at the Karate1 Premier League ‐ Istanbul Open. Virk came very close to the podium, losing her last match against an athlete from Hong Kong by a score of 3‐2. BC Team (Continued from page 15) participate at the first team training, have participated at Provincials in an elite division and caught the attention of more than one coach at Provincials and Team Training. Coach, also joined us for the first time and did a fantastic job working with the athletes. All coaches chose athletes and then compared their choices to make their final picks. Coach Antonio provided us with kumite tactics and techniques for performance in competition and Coach Akira provided training for kata athletes, sport psychology and a takedown seminar for kumite athletes. In order for a “coaches pick” to make it on the team, this athlete had to place in the top two (kumite) or top three (kata) at Selections. The visit of these two guest coaches benefited athletes and coaches. We are following through with their recommendations. During September training, the HPC decided to open up the floor for additional “coaches picks” to participate at Selections. As the coaches never really took advantage of the additional coaches picks as indicated in the BC Team Handbook, we decided to try this out and see what would transpire from that experience. The criteria: A “coaches pick” must However, once placed in the top results, the “coaches pick” athlete had to challenge whomever was placed in the top at Provincials and had made Squad. We did not need to run any challenge matches at Selections. It really brought the best out of our best and provided additional experience for athletes who were selected as “coaches pick”. Oct. Selections, training Our Selections used to run on one ring. This year, we had three rings. This is a good indication of the expansion of the BC Team Program. 16 The training for October was fantastic. BC athletes looked great, displayed a positive attitude and wanted more. Cost Share, Age Eligibility Karate BC made a couple of proposals to Karate Canada. Note that BC’s relationship with Karate Canada is one of cooperation with the purpose of development for the greater good for all. Derek Chan and Sumi Uchiage, HPC Athlete Representatives, made a proposal to Karate Canada. Their proposal was successful and the cost share this season is $200 as opposed to $600. Derek and Sumi worked on their proposal while travelling to World Championships. They are definitely Elite people not just athletes. Most Provincial Sports Organizations followed age eligibility guidelines of last year during their selection season. As the age eligibility was changed after most had made their selections, it affected a few of our athletes and probably other Canadian athletes. Karate Canada considered our proposal and re‐instated the Age Eligibility based on last season’s (Continued on page 17) Karate BC NEWS BC Team (Continued from page 16) grid. We don’t know if this age grid will remain for 2016. 12‐13 Youth Cup Challenge BC Team Coach Mike Ditson put hours of work in the coordination required to run a 12‐13 Selection. We conducted a 12‐13 Selection at the end of our November training. They showcased great talent and kept the audience entertained. The selected athletes in the 12‐13 will be attending Nationals and participate in the 12‐13 Youth Cup Challenge, a new trial division for Nationals 2015. Head coach Nicole Poirier addresses team— Peter Stoddart photos cooperation from the Officials Committee and their continued effort in making our BC Team a strong one. Coach Evaluations We had evaluators come to our November training. Three of our coaches went through Competition Introduction Evaluations. New WKF rules The Officials Committee implemented the new WKF rules during the 12‐13 Selections. This was a first time event for BC Team and it went well. The purpose was familiarization for athletes, coaches and officials. Having evaluators coming to BC Team training boosted the coaches training output. We are staying on top of things and keeping current with the evolution of things. Coaches are pleased with the Really it’s awesome, it keeps us on our toes and it brings in an exciting challenge. All BC coaches ran segments of the training, all did a great job and the athletes enjoyed the variety of trainers. Thank you Donna Gardecki and Ali Najafi, NCCP Evaluators, for being there and guiding us. We will be running additional coaches evaluation at our next team training in January. Officials Clinic Our January training will be in conjunction with an official clinic Jan. 10, 2015. This will allow for our officials, athletes and coaches to be more prepared for Nationals 2015. In conclusion, our season so far has been a bit overwhelming in terms of preparation. Fortunately we have several people on board that work hard and help us achieve what may seem impossible. Outside of getting work done, we also have a ton of fun when we gather up at events. Fun, sounds very much like a symptom of harmony. Coach Mike Ditson 17 Karate BC NEWS Sato Cup Another Successful event By Andreas Kuntze Tournament Director The Sato Cup held on 15 November 2014 was another successful event! Many thanks go out to our main sponsors: Mikado, Bushido Martial Arts, Churchʹs Chicken, Glico, Dan‐d‐
Pak and Dr. Wilson Kwong. Many thanks as well to our volunteers ‐ once again we had over 100 signing up for a t‐shirt. This year, our event was somewhat smaller, but we had athletes from all over BC, some from Japan and of course a number from Washington State and Oregon. The Sato Cup was retained by Team BC this year, and team members took temporary possession of the Sato Cup Masters Grand Champion Rita Becker of Taneda Karate received her trophy from Shihan Akira Sato who will be marking his 45th year in Canada next year to display in the dojo! Please donʹt lose it, as we want it back. :) Sato Sensei with junior grand champions Khyber Barnett and Darby‐Anne Heenan 18 Of particular note, the Odokan dojo from Vancouver took home 3 of the 5 grand champion trophies: Senior Male Athlete Kenneth Lee, Senior Female athlete Monika Yu and Junior Female Athlete Darby‐Anne Heenan. Such dominance must be challenged!! The Sportsmanship award was won by Evan Kwong. Next year, in conjunction with the Sato Cup, we are celebrating Sato Shihanʹs 45th year in Canada, so we anticipate more participants from Japan, Australia and possibly Europe. Please set your calendars for the 14th of November 2015 for next yearʹs event. Karate BC NEWS We are proud of our junior officials who were out in full force for the BC Winter Games earlier this year. Petition calls for karate’s inclusion in 2020 By Nick Butler InsidetheGames.biz Dec. 16, 2014 A petition has been set up calling for karateʹs inclusion in the Tokyo Olympics following the approval of Agenda 2020 proposals for a more flexible sports programme. Like many other sports, karate has been boosted by the plans, which saw the 28‐sport cap on the programme lifted, although the practical repercussions with regard to Tokyo 2020 are not yet clear. But the World Karate Federation (WKF), in coordination with the Japan Karate Federation (JKF), has already stepped up its campaign, gaining support from various local groups, including the Nippon Budo‐
kan and Japan Budo Association. They are now working hard to lobby the All‐Party Parliamentary Group for the Promotion of the Tokyo Olympics 2020, which has been set up with more than 110 Beaver Valley Chito‐Ryu Sensei Scott Hutcheson has started a new club in Rossland 19 members from both Houses of Parliament. The petition, submitted via the website change.org and signed by WKF President Antonio Espinós and JKF counterpart Takashi Sasagawa, has at time of writing gained more than 13,000 signatures. ʺIn order to publicise the overwhelming wave of passionate vocal support for karate to the Olympics to the world, as well as in Japanʺ, it urges, ʺwe would like to ask your full support for and cooperation with this online signature‐collecting campaignʺ. The sports seen as most likely to be added to the programme in Tokyo is baseball and softball, due to their huge popularity in Japan, although karate, along with the likes of squash and skateboarding, are others with serious aspirations. No timeline has yet been set as to when new sports will be added and confirmed, although it is possible a decision could be announced during the next IOC Session, in Kuala Lumpur next July. Karate BC NEWS Ken Corrigan, left, tapes Warren Grafton while Keith Nakashima works on Gino Tomasino Sport Med BC conducts Concussion Management, Athletic Taping course By Ken Corrigan The instructors from the Nechako Karate Club in Prince George participated Dec. 13 and 14 in a Sport Smart: Concussion Management and Athletic Taping course put on by Sport Med B.C. These courses were being sponsored by Pacific Sport, with instructors from Sport Med B.C. The course content involved up‐to‐date prevention techniques and tactics for youth in sports, with the aim of providing the skills and resources required to create a safe sporting environment and the latest medical information on concussion (risk factors, prevention techniques and equipment). The most current assessment techniques including the SCAT3 and the on‐field resource Pocket SCAT2 were reviewed. The Athletic taping course was an eight
‐hour course providing hands‐on lessons for taping techniques (ankle, foot, wrist, elbow and thumb). These courses were a great asset to our instructors and I would encourage anyone to partake should the opportunity present itsself in your area. Clubs not registering in 2014/15 Downtown Shotokan Karate Club (location closing) Kitsilano Karate Club (closed; may re‐open in the future) Pender Island Shotokan Karate Tsawwassen Shotokan Karate Yama Neko Dojo New Clubs 2014/15 Lax Kw’ Alaams Karate Club, Port Simpson – Wade Wilkins Rossland Traditional Karate – Scott Hutcheson The Board of Directors and Staff of Karate BC wish you a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Joyeux Noël, Joyous Kwanzaa, Happy Holidays and a healthy, prosperous and happy New Year. As well, at the end of the class the instructor took the time for the Nechako Karate Club to cover taping of injured toes. 20 Karate BC NEWS Karate BC annual awards Rita Ngo of Kingsway Shito‐Ryu, Female Grand Champion Karate BC President Charles La Vertu presented the junior female athlete of the year award to Alexandria Zaborniak Ali Najafi, KimNik Academy, Coach – High Performance Arash Beytoei of the Burnaby Karate Academy, Male Grand Champion Shakiba Fadaie, KimNik Academy, Inspirational Athlete Warren MacLean 2013 KBC Official of the Year Khyber Barnett of Kimeru Shotokan Karate ‐‐ 2014 tournament Junior Sportsmanship award Laura Spencelayh received the Sponsor of the Year award on bealf of Special T Group Events Kamelia Fard, KimNik Academy, Coach – Grassroots 21 KBC Officials Committee chair Paul Sexton presented the tournament official award to Richard Mosdell Karate BC NEWS Karate and Kudu in South Africa By Rob Walker lions, elephants, rhinos, crocodiles, ostriches, giraffes, kudus and much more. A seven‐person Kimura Shukokai – Canada West team travelled to South Africa in July for Kimura Shukokai International’s 17th biannual World Tournament at the Sun City Resort, north of Johannesburg. Following the safari, we spent a couple of days in the Johannesburg area, including a visit to Nelson Mandela’s former home in Soweto and then headed to Gordon’s Bay, south of Capetown where a beautiful beach‐front house was our base of operations as we explored wine country, penguin colonies and endless, fabulous beaches. Team Canada West was composed of seven people from Vancouver Island including Sensei Norman Ensil from the Sooke Dojo and Senseis Rob and Sarah Walker from the Westshore Dojo. The first day of the tournament is always a training day and approximately 700 people enjoyed learning from our four World Chief Instructors – Shihan Bill Bressaw (USA), Shihan Eddie Daniels (England), Shihan Chris Thompson (South Africa South) and our host, Shihan Lionel Marinus (South Africa North). The second and third days were elimination days for Kata (pre‐
arranged forms) and Kumite (sparring) divisions. The much‐anticipated final matches for all 49 divisions were held on the fourth day. Then it was time for the wrap‐up party and our many good‐
byes. Rose and Rob Walker on training day optimizing our techniques from our World Chief Instructors and to begin our exploration of the country. South Africa is a beautiful country and a group of us immediately headed off on a three‐day safari in Pilanesberg National Park to immerse ourselves in its iconic wildlife. The safari was tremendous as we got up close and personal with South Africa is a beautiful and diverse country with incredible natural resources and beauty but it is also a place of startling contrasts between rich and poor, high unemployment and a lot of crime. We met many wonderful people and they all shared an underlying sense of optimism as they re‐build their rainbow nation 20 years after apartheid was ended. We look forward to the next South African World Tournament, coming up in a few years in the Capetown area. The competition is always tremendous but, unfortunately, Team Canada West failed to win a medal for the first time since 2006. Several team members went well into the elimination rounds but Rob Walker was the only one to compete for a medal, losing his match for a bronze medal in Kumite to a competitor from England. The tournament gave us a chance to catch up with our international karate friends, to learn new ways of Zebra foal in Pilanesberg National Park 22 Karate BC NEWS Congratulations Sensei Donna Gardecki of West Coast Gojukai, second left, competed with Team Kataclysm in Tough Mudder June 21 & 22, 2014 at Whistler. The course was 19 km of running with obstacles throughout and took their team 4.45 hours to complete. Nathan Dong of the Hayabusa Karate Club, the 2014 kata champion at the Shotokan Pan‐Am in Mexico Nanaimo Shotokan Karate‐do John Funk, Seamus Clark, Alexandra Hamilton on passing Shodan Renshikan Karate Kamloops Annie Slizak, Shodan; Chris Wilkinson and Chris LeClair – Nidan Westshore Kimura Shukokai Karate Rob Walker, Sandan Shima Karate in Nanaimo Twelve karate‐ka passed to their next level in International Karate Do Gojukai Association. Kyell Erickson of Campbell River Shito‐Ryu and his band on winning at least 18 hours of recording at a studio in Vancouver. Who is Barbosa has been performing together since 2012, playing various venues and festivals 23 Pat Audet, Shodan; Mike Michaud, Scott Zmaeff, Bernadette Alvarez and Shahil Lal, Nidan‐
ho; Becca Evenson, Erik Kuehnel, Hannah Jones, Steve Thomas, Danny Bristol, Richard Cooper and Dayton Popham, Shodan‐ho. Karate BC NEWS BC Represents Canada well at Junior Pan American Championships The competition truly brought the East and West together. The team members from across Canada worked as one team cheering each other on, bonding both in and outside of the arena and generally setting up a spirit of cohesion. The team played, ate and trained together. Co‐Captain Tan Nguyen Although, overall, Canada did not do particularly well, some of the best moments came from BC’s Tan Nguyen and Khyber Barnett. Tan was given the honour of being selected Co‐Team Captain. He did a great job of leading cheers and keeping the team cohesive. Canada and the US showed their strong friendship by playing with Claudia Laos Loo each other with their back and forth cheers and songs. At one point, the US team (all in the spirit of fun and play) stole the Canadian cheer that was created by Tan, causing Tan and some of the other experienced Canadian competitors to lead Canadian cheers from the US Seats. The competition began with great promise and excitement as Khyber Barnett was victorious (4‐1) against Peru in the first match of the competition. Khyber was eventually knocked out of medal contention in a 2/3 split decision in favor of Ecuador. Excitement built again as Tan won match after match to miss making it to the podium with a loss to Peru in repacharge. Team members from BC also included Terrance Chan, Claudia Laos Loo, William Wright, Thanu Vasanthakumar, Shalene Lee, and Valérie Doyon. BC officials in Lima included Valentyna Zolotarova and Trevor Walmsley, 2nd right 24 Karate BC NEWS Karate BC Represented at West Coast Open Nineteen Karate BC athletes headed to the West Coast Open in Tacoma Washington on Sept. 27‐28. This annual tournament attracted some of the most accomplished Canadian and American athletes including recent participants in the Jr Pan American Championships from both countries (Team Canada ‐ Khyber Barnett, Thanu Kumar, and Shalene Lee) including Kiel Higgins (USA), a Jr World Championship bronze medal winner, and more recently, Jr Pan American Gold medal winner (Kata 16/17). Many attendees participated in Kumite workshops conducted by three‐time World Kumite Champion Elisa Au Fonseca. Sensei Brian James (Kimeru Shotokan Karate) and Sensei Valentyna Zolotarova (Hayabusa) attended as officials. Sensei Matt Bickel (West Van Karate Academy) accompanied a team of kumite athletes as coach. The athletes from British Columbia were clearly there to make a statement. The 19 BC athletes collectively took Khyber Barnett, Thanu Kumar, John Sawal, Shalene Lee and Sensei Brian James home 23 medals that included 11 Gold, five Silver and seven Bronze in divisions ranging from beginner to masters. The KBC athletes’ standings were: Kata Khyber Barnett: 16/17 boys advanced ‐ Gold; 18‐34 menʹs advanced ‐ Silver; WKF male (12‐
17) ‐ Gold; Team Kata advanced ‐ Gold John Sawal: 18‐34 menʹs advanced ‐ Gold; Team Kata advanced ‐ Gold Thanu Kumar: 14/15 boys advanced ‐ Bronze; WKF (12‐17) ‐ Silver; Team Kata advanced ‐ Gold Khyber Barnett at the Jr Pan Am Championships Lima, Peru 25 Shalene Lee: 16/17 girls advanced ‐ Gold; 18‐34 womenʹs advanced ‐ Gold; WKF female (12‐17) ‐ Gold Jithu Kumar: 10/11 girls beginner ‐ Bronze Trang Pham: Women’s Masters ‐ Bronze Darbyanh Heenan : 16/17 girls advanced ‐ Bronze; 14/15 girls advanced ‐ Gold; WKF female (12‐17) ‐ Bronze Kumite Darbyanh Heenan 14/15 girls advanced ‐ Silver Shalene Lee 16/17 girls advanced ‐ Gold Kyle Macmillan 16/17 advanced ‐ Bronze Joel Tai 4/15 boys advanced ‐ Silver Rishi Sharma 10/11 boys advanced ‐ Silver Josh Noble 10/11 boys advanced ‐ Bronze. Also taking part were Casey Fraser, 10/11 boys intermediate; Mark Wong, 12/13 advanced; Michael Plunkett, 12/13 advanced; Gur Hothi, 12/13 advanced; Masaki Soehardhi, 14/15 Advanced; Jai Sanghara, 16/17 Advanced; Rika Wong, 16/17 Advanced; and Sarah Perez, Women’s Open Advanced. Karate BC NEWS Karate at the BC Games Every two years the BC Games Society hosts a meeting with our BC Summer and BC Winter Games Provincial Sport Organization (PSO) partners. The purpose of the meeting is to provide PSOs with information about Games operations, to share best practices and processes established by PSOs, and to engage in discussion to assist the BC Games Society in planning and policy development. Representatives from 31 Provincial Sport Organizations gathered on October 30 and reviewed information about the BC Games Core Sport Policy, zone realignment, and registration fees. The responsibilities and opportunities for coaches at the BC Games were also presented along with information about BC Games medals, awards, and bursaries for athletes. ʺThe BC Games is a huge event for us and through our involvement we are seeing great improvement in our coach certification and officials’ development,” said Wallis. Dan Wallis from Karate BC presented how their organization has adopted the BC Games zone model to streamline the development of their sport provincially. At the Games, Karate BC’s junior officials and junior coaches program has been very successful and allows young participants to stay involved in the sport for a longer time. Arash Beytoei of Burnaby Karate Academy brought home bronze from the 2014 Pan American Sports Festival in Tlaxcala, Mexico, a vast multi‐sport event assembling the continent’s best athletes in preparation for the 2015 Pan Am Games. Karate Canada sent a team of six athletes and emerged from this tournament with no less than four medals. They were accompanied by National Team Coach Kraig Devlin. Sensei Paul Sexton (Chair, KBC Officials Committee) recently passed his Rokudan (6th degree black belt) grading at a Whistler Training Camp. Grading examiners were Shihan Tak Sameshima (8th Dan) ‐ Chief Instructor Gima Ha Canada, Shihan Ikuo Higuchi 9th Dan ‐ Chief instructor of the Gima Ha Association in Japan and Sensei Robert Sidoli, 6th Dan (GSK) ‐ Chief Instructor Gima Ha UK. 26 Karate BC NEWS Karate‐manga Victoria author pens new series Sonny Leads is a black belt with something to prove to himself, and to the world. Heʹs oozing with talent, but he canʹt seem to put it together when it matters most. So he takes the advice of a coach and follows his dream to train with the best in Japan. Before anything can go right, though, everything goes wrong. In the dojo. At his new Japanese home. Even in Karate BC member and author Richard Mosdell on book tour in Florida front of a cute university student named Haruka. Does Sonny have the fighting spirit needed to survive Japan? Heʹd better. Because real karate isnʹt for pretenders. This the first volume in a new series written by longtime Japan resident Richard Mosdell (5th dan JKF Wadokai), who now lives in Victoria, and illustrated by Genshi Kamobayashi (3rd dan Shotokan and Japanʹs leading karate‐manga artist). From left: Terrance Chan, Claudia Laos Loo, William Wright, Thanu Vasanthakumar, Khyber Barnett, Shalene Lee and Valérie Doyon Karate BC Represented at Training Camp for Junior Pan American Karate Canadaʹs 2014 edition of the Junior National Training Camp took place on July 4 to 6 in Toronto, and assembled over 55 of our nationʹs top Junior karate athletes. This high‐energy event also included such great segments as a Judo cross‐
training session with Coach Pedro Guedes (Judo Ontario and Judo Canada), and informative workshops / conferences on High Performance, sports nutrition, Long Term Athlete Development, Junior National Team programs, physical preparation, and specific training plans leading up to the upcoming 2014 Cadet & Junior Pan American Karate Championships. 27 The story is a realistic portrayal of the karate scene in Japan, and explores the challenges foreign karate athletes encounter when choosing a dojo, making Japanese friends, working in Japan, living in a Japanese homestay, and navigating the intricate network of Japanese karate organizations. (Volume 1 includes a bonus section featuring a directory of karate organizations in Japan, a glossary of translations of the Japanese sound effects in the book, and an essay on coaching high school karate in Japan.) Karate BC NEWS karate class itself – with an emphasis on “proper manners” and the like – Taneda said seemingly minor things can make a difference. As an example, he pointed to the shoes that were lined up neatly outside the gymnasium at the Joseph Dugas school. Clinic participants had removed them prior to entering the gym, where Taneda was conducting his session, and they were arranged in an orderly fashion. “This is a little thing, but those little things go into the way we treat each other and into the community,” he said. Chris Taneda (left) works with Milton Bourque (right, foreground) and others during a karate session Nov. 22 in Church Point. — Eric Bourque photo Karate ‘etiquette’ focus of sessions with Chris Taneda Yarmouth County Vanguard By Eric Bourque Dec. 1, 2014 Among the things you might not expect to see at a karate clinic are people tossing a basketball around, but then Chris Taneda says he likes to try different ways of getting his point across. Taneda is a seventh dan (or seventh‐
degree black belt) in Chito‐ryu karate who lives in British Columbia and he was in Nova Scotia for a few days to work with some karate clubs here. After a couple of days in the Yarmouth area and sessions with the Mukashi Karate club, Taneda was in Church Point, home of the Bushino‐Ki club, which is where he took a few moments to explain what the basketball drill was about. among themselves, changing positions within the group after doing so. The drill was about thinking ahead. “It’s forward‐thinking,” Taneda explained, “because what you have to do is you pass the ball and then you have to move … It’s about being aware.” Referring to the sessions he was conducting during his Nova Scotia visit, he said, “What we really want out of this is that people take that good behavior and it becomes part of their life outside, and if that happens – to me – you’re adding to society in a good and positive manner.” Taneda, 58, became involved in karate in 1974 and has been a multiple national and world champion. He has two children who are black belts and who also live in B.C. Milton Bourque, sensei with Mukashi Karate, was among those who welcomed the chance to take part in Taneda’s sessions and hear what he had to say about etiquette among other things. The idea of thinking ahead, of being aware, he said, was part of a broader theme he was focusing on during his Nova Scotia visit. “He’s very knowledgeable … he helped us a lot,” Bourque said. “He didn’t have any trouble keeping people’s interest when he was going around. He’s very captivating.” “It’s actually about proper etiquette and about how it relates to what we do in our karate,” he said. “There’s a relationship between the senseis and their students.” Taneda – whose visit was sponsored by SouthWest Dental in Yarmouth – was asked about the popularity of karate. Aside from what happens during the For this particular exercise, the participants were divided into groups, where they passed the ball quickly 28 “In B.C. there’s lots of clubs,” he said. “I believe there’s lots of clubs here too. Some clubs sort of get to a point where they just sustain the same (numbers). I would say within our association, our own organization, the growth is gradual.” Karate BC NEWS Live streaming sports fills niche ViaSport transmits video from events that wouldn’t otherwise be broadcast BY GARY KINGSTON VANCOUVER SUN NOVEMBER 21, 2014 If you were living in Iceland or Bermuda, Fort St. John or Gander, N.L., for the past year, and had Internet access, you could have sat at your laptop and watched more sports from Metro Vancouver and Victoria than you ever thought possible. You could, of course, also have done it from a False Creek condo or a four‐
bedroom home in Burnaby. But the point is that technology, evolving viewing options and keen interest in getting a sport or game broadcast have created a world where if it’s played or contested anywhere, it can be watched somewhere. Everything from pro beach volleyball in Kitsilano to velodrome cycling in Victoria to the pee wee, bantam and midget lacrosse nationals in New Westminster to a world martial arts championship in Richmond was available in 2014 through live streaming by ViaSport. Throw in indoor sport climbing, the national karate championships, the Pacific Rim gymnastics championships, the Canadian rowing championships and Stanley Park Open tennis and it was nirvana for sport junkies and a godsend for grandparents, aunts and uncles who might be a mountain range or ocean removed. In an era when TSN now needs five national channels and Sportsnet six channels (two national and four regional) to accommodate all its programming and regional interests, the cable sports networks still have Karate BC was one of the first provincial sports organizations to take advantage of this new service. Here Sensei Kenny Lim provides colour commentary. neither the resources nor the inclination to fully serve amateur sport. That broadcast void has been filled in part since February 2013 by ViaSport, the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic legacy organization that was established in 2011. With a $17‐
million‐a‐year budget funded primarily by government, its mandate is to provide sport leadership and to encourage increased levels of physical activity across the province. ViaSport TV, the organization’s broadcast arm, has streamed 18 events from B.C. this year — three that were international in scope, six national championships and the remainder either western Canadian championships, provincial championships or local competitions. Live viewership hits totalled 163,074 for those 18 events. Total viewership, which includes people later accessing archived material, is 332,633. Forty‐one per cent of viewers were 29 from B.C. — 70 per cent from Canada — but people from 97 different countries have watched at least part of one event. ‘Social enterprise’ “What are people drawn to? Videos,” says Bill Woodley, ViaSport’s vice‐
president of business development and operations. “They love videos. It’s why companies are building smart TVs that go to online programming.” ViaSport calls its coverage of events in B.C. a “social enterprise,” with the production done at no cost to provincial or national sport organizations. “A lot of groups we work with simply couldn’t afford to pay to have their events online,” says Adam Fritz, ViaSport’s marketing director. Coverage can range from a one‐
camera, one commentator production to more elaborate, multi‐camera feeds with a commentator and analyst. Two weeks ago, the organization (Continued on page 30) Karate BC NEWS Live streaming (Continued from page 29) undertook its most ambitious project to date when it broadcast Rowing Canada’s national championships on Elk Lake in Victoria. It was the first time nationals were live streamed. dropped by CIS a few years back. Now some CIS conferences do their own production. One of the other pioneers of live streaming of sports in Canada was Choyal Brown, a former Capilano His price for cash‐strapped sports organizations is considerably cheaper than the networks. Brown says Softball Canada wanted CBC to cover the playoff round of the junior men’s worlds held in Whitehorse this past summer, “but just to move the (broadcast) truck there, without any production or people, was going to be $100,000. “It was a learning curve for all of us,” says Woodley. “We said we want to make this look as interesting as possible. “We didn’t have the $80,000 to put a zoom camera on a cable over the lake … but we rented a crane to get a high view, put people in boats with life jackets and camera gear. We got good feedback. We gave a real live view into what goes on at that event … not just a dot rolling down the rowing course. We brought that into somebody’s home.” Annabel Kehoe, Rowing Canada’s director of business development, says the competitors were excited to have the competition live streamed, “but the most positive response was from family and friends, especially the ones of athletes from outside B.C. “For us, it was a fantastic service.” The commitment to that service was cemented in September when ViaSport hired Dave Stewart, who has worked with numerous broadcast companies at 11 Olympic Games, as executive producer of ViaSport TV. “We are the tipping point of something big for sport in our province, and there is no doubt our live‐stream programming will thrive under his leadership,” says ViaSport CEO Cathy Priestner‐Allinger. More sports involved The Ontario‐based Streaming Sports Network, which broadcast university sports, was one of the first companies in Canada to live stream, but was He also has contracts with Volleyball Canada, Rugby Canada and Softball Canada and has live streamed events like Canada Cup wheelchair rugby from the Richmond Olympic Oval and last summer’s world wheelchair basketball championships in Toronto. “I told them that for a quarter of that, I could do all 60 games, every single game.” Tarrah Harvey interviews Shalene Lee College basketball player who launched SportsCanada.tv in December 2008. Conceived initially to broadcast local college sports, Brown essentially did it as a hobby for the first few years while he worked at Basketball B.C. Now, having invested $250,000 into equipment and technology, he has one other full‐time employee and has some 50 Canadian colleges on board. And SportsCanada.tv, which has live streamed the B.C. Boys AAA basketball championships for a few years, launched a high school network this week. Alberta has been the most enthusiastic, but Brown also expects B.C. High School Sports to get more of its championships broadcasts and Ontario and Manitoba are also keen to get involved. “My vision is to have every single high school championships on one network,” says Brown. 30 Brown says his hope is to “break even for a few years,” and build the viewing numbers big enough to start attracting corporate sponsors. Some sports organizations in B.C. have even taken to doing their own live streaming, most notably Skate Canada BC/Yukon, where executive director Ted Barton is an enthusiastic proponent. His organization made its first equipment purchase of $25,000 four years ago and had it paid off in six months. “We were looking at ways for kids in small communities around B.C. to visually see what kids their own age were doing. That little girl in Terrace might watch (Olympic medallist) Joannie Rochette on TV and say ‘I can’t do that.’ But if she sees another girl her age in Vancouver (on live streaming) doing stuff, she’s thinking ‘I can do that.’ “And we’ve had parents and grandparents writing us from all over, thanking us for doing this so they can see their kids or grandkids (Continued on page 31) Karate BC NEWS Karate club wins big Kaigan Seikokai Karate COAST REPORTER DECEMBER 4, 2014 On Nov. 15, members of Kaigan Seikokai Karate in Roberts Creek competed in the annual Sato Cup karate tournament in Vancouver — a premier martial arts competition for the Pacific Northwest region. Pictured back row left to right: Caio Machado (bronze, Kata), Dallas Grieve (bronze, Kumite), Lazar Williams (gold, Kumite); front: Brody Mills (silver, Kata) and Hana Hall (silver, Kumite). For club info, see http://kaigan‐
seikokai.com. Live streaming (Continued from page 30) develop in the sport. I’ve never seen such heartfelt messages.” Canada Winter Games ViaSport was encouraged by Barton’s success and now has invested some $200,000 in equipment, the biggest cost being an $80,000 TriCaster, a desktop‐size video production studio that can connect up to eight live cameras while also mixing audio and graphics. Like SportsCanada.tv, ViaSport often uses students from the BCIT broadcast program to run the cameras and do the announcing. Students are paid an honorarium and can use whatever footage they shoot for classroom projects. While ViaSport has taken some events away from SportCanada.tv, the two organizations will be working side‐by‐side in February at the Canada Winter Games in Prince George. The largest multi‐sport event in Canada is expected to attract some 3,000 athletes in 19 sports. TSN is the network broadcaster. But Brown’s organization will be showing all competition except the skiing, while ViaSport and BCIT will partner to produce a 30‐minute, magazine‐style show online for the Games’ 18‐day duration. The BCIT students will be actively involved in creative content. “The way I would describe it is Entertainment Tonight meets Sportsdesk,” Woodley says of the program. both English and French. Woodley says he’s reaching out to media schools in Quebec to see if they have interest in supplying students. “This is not cheap labour to do what we want to do,” says Woodley. “It provides opportunities for students to gain real world experience.” Woodley says ViaSport’s goal is break even on its live streaming by building up enough viewership to attract advertising and sponsorship. RBC became the first company to get on board when it advertised during coverage of the rowing nationals. Woodley and Fritz also say demand for the service right now is greater than ViaSport’s ability to supply. “There are so many events that occur in B.C. every year, we could never come close to meeting the demand,” says Fritz. He says it will focus on what athletes, coaches and volunteers do behind the scenes during the Games, what’s going on in the village and what kind of legacy the Games will leave in Prince George. “There are so many events looking for this kind of service.” There will be 30‐minute shows in [email protected] 31 Karate BC NEWS BC Coaches Week Profile: Nicole Poirier, Karate my day. I love seeing them growing up. Do you have a particular coaching style? BC Games News September, 2014 British Columbia Coaches Week is September 20‐27. An initiative of ViaSport, this week focuses on the recruitment, development and celebration of sport coaches with events around the province. In honour of BC Coaches Week, we wanted to introduce and profile some of our BC Games Coaches. The BC Winter and BC Summer Games are an important part of BC’s athlete development pathway, but the Games also provide an important opportunity for coaching development including earning certification, attending coaching clinics, and learning from other coaches around the province. Provincial Sport Organizations like Karate BC have made the BC Games an important part of their coaching development where young coaches can learn from experienced coaches like provincial team coach Nicole Poirier. Question and Answers with Nicole Poirier How many BC Games have you attended as a coach? I attended four BC Winter Games, two as a zone coach and then for the past two Games as a scouting coach for the BC Team Squad. Since 2012, Karate BC has used the BC Winter Games as a platform for Talent Identification. We select four athletes (two males and two females) and we invite them to train for free with the BC Training Squad in preparation for Nationals. Why did you choose to get into coaching? I have a holistic approach to my coaching for the development of body, mind, spirit. Humour and laughter is definitely part of the package when coaching. What is your coach certification level? I have completed the Competition Development modules. Prior to the new NCCP, I completed NCCP level 3 and with this I am able to coach Provincially and Nationally. I have a background in Education with a major in Psychoeducation, I have a counselling background which I find helps me with my coaching to Elite athletes. I am currently the Head Coach Karate BC. The reason why I opted for coaching is due to my own personal experience as an athlete and want to lead and support upcoming athletes. I am also passionate about karate and I really donʹt see myself doing anything else and to be honest it does not feel like work most of the time. What is your favorite thing about coaching? My favourite thing about coaching is setting goals, training for competition, and evaluating the progress. I have my own karate club and children bring me so much joy in 32 I also completed the required grading with World Karate Federation to coach internationally. What was your favorite memory from the BC Games? My favourite memory of the BC Games was to see all athletes of all sports getting on buses, being fed and lodged for four days and going to compete in a province wide event. What a great experience for these young people in preparation for National and International competition. What were you able to learn from other coaches at the BC Games? That working together in the development of athletes will reach greater success than working alone. How is coaching at a multi‐sport Games different from a single sport event? Although we always have our gym, during downtime or days where we are not competing, we were able to go see other sports. One sport that really intrigued me and totally enjoyed watching was (Continued on page 33) Karate BC NEWS Wright shows well in Peru By Emanuel Sequeira Penticton Western News Sept. 18, 2014 “At the end I’m not sure what happened.” Wright and his opponent were tied 1
‐1 at the end and tie breakers are decided by the official, who makes a decision based on a set of criteria. The official went with the Peruvian. Will Wright didn’t place in the 2014 Junior Pan‐American Championships karate competition in Lima, Peru held in late August. Yet, he still performed well in the eyes of his sensei Chris Taneda and instructor Mike Ditson. “I thought he dominated probably the first three quarters of the fight,” said Taneda, who watched it on the Internet. “Fighting a guy from Peru, when you’re in that situation, you can’t really leave it in the judge’s hand,” said Taneda. “You have to put a External Sport Credentials Program Grade 10, 11 and 12 students can earn credits toward graduation through the Athlete, Coach and Officials External Sport Credentials program. Athletes competing at BC Games, Western Canada Summer Games, North American Indigenous Games, Canada Games and other national and international competitions could be eligible to earn four credits per year per program involvement. Nicole Poirier (Continued from page 32) wheelchair basketball. The other thing is to witness the amount of Winter Games athletes a opening and closing ceremonies. What has been your best success in coaching? One of my best memories is coaching Pat Grant who won the Pan American Championship Gold medal in Mexico in 2011. Also, winning a few Coach of the Year Awards in BC and Canada wide. Another great moment was coaching Jusleen Virk who won a Jr. Pan Am Gold medal in Chile in 2009. I have coached great athletes little bit more emphasis. Unfortunately he didn’t win.” for Canada and BC. In 2011, Victoria Barusic was the only athlete who represented Canada at Commonwealth Championships in Australia and returned home with a Gold medal as well. I have so many great memories that I could probably write a book on this! Do you have a coach mentor? I had many mentors in my development. At the moment, my mentor is Antonio Oliva Seba who is a world known combat and tactic expert. He is an International coach that I have been learning from since 2008. What are your next goals as a coach? My next goals are to continue taking the multi‐sport module with NCCP, 33 Wright was then knocked out of competition when the Peruvian he lost to ended up competing for a bronze medal. Had he advanced to the gold medal bout, Wright would have been able to compete again. Wright was also part of the Canadian kumite team, but didn’t compete since the first two Canadians lost their matches. “When I looked at the competition, Will was definitely in the middle of things,” said Taneda. “I think for Will’s first time at an international event like that, I’m really proud of the way he did.” grow my karate school, and continue developing the BC Team program. Tell us about the photo you submitted for this profile. This picture is one of my favourites. On the left is Pat Grant from Ontario. We are just walking off the ring after Pat won the Gold medal at Pan American Championships in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico in 2011. This photo was taken by Dick Grant, Patʹs father, who always tags along and travels internationally. He fills his time taking numerous photos from all the events and provides memories for all to view for free. Thanks to Dick Grantʹs abilities to capture the moment, this picture is indeed one that has marked history in Canadian karate. Karate BC NEWS New website launched to help recognize concussion signs in kids By Sheryl Ubelacker The Canadian Press July 29, 2014 TORONTO – Deciding whether a child may have sustained a concussion while engaged in play or sport can be difficult because tell‐tale symptoms may not show up right away. But a new online resource aimed at parents and coaches could help make that determination a whole lot easier. The Child & Family Research Institute at BC Children’s Hospital has launched a website called the Concussion Awareness Training Tool (CATT) (http://
www.cattonline.com/), which flags the warning signs of concussion and explains what steps need to be taken to diagnose and manage the all‐too‐
common brain injury. Shelina Babul, associate director of the BC Injury Research and Prevention Unit at the hospital, spearheaded the development of the CATT website, which started last year with an online tool to help health professionals to better recognize and treat concussion. The second phase of the site’s development – tools for parents, players and coaches – has now gone live, and the third phase for teachers is expected to go online in the fall. READ MORE: Canadian docs release 1st national guidelines on concussion in kids ‐ (http://
globalnews.ca/news/1415057/
canadian‐docs‐release‐1st‐national‐
guidelines‐on‐concussion‐in‐kids/) Babul, a sports injury specialist, said she had been getting calls from parents saying their child had hit their head while riding a bike or playing hockey but had been told by an emergency department doctor: “Oh, he’s just had a bonk to the head. He’ll be fine. Just go home.” “And those calls started getting more numerous,” she said Monday from Vancouver. “And I thought there’s obviously a Dr. Shelina Babul disconnect somewhere because patients are getting the wrong information from their health‐care provider. And that’s a problem.” Babul and colleagues developed CATT, a free website that is updated monthly to provide the latest evidence‐based research on concussion, which occurs when the brain is rapidly shaken up inside the skull following a hit to the head or a blow to the body that causes a sudden jerk of the head or neck. The site, which has also been designed to be accessible through smartphones and other devices, provides information about concussion and tools to help parents and coaches decide how to respond to an injury, track symptoms, and to 34 record information to show medical professionals. The site is organized into six learning modules, each of which is followed by a quick multiple
‐choice quiz. READ MORE: Panel finds helmets, mouth guards don’t prevent concussions ‐‐ http://globalnews.ca/
news/407569/panel‐finds‐helmets‐
mouth‐guards‐dont‐prevent‐
concussions/ CATT also includes short videos for children and teens with stories of young athletes who have had concussions and advice about safe play in contact sports like hockey, football and rugby. “A lot of (online) tools that are out there are simple slide‐decks for reading,” said Babul. “We wanted to move away from that just because we were hearing, you know, ‘I like to watch, I like to listen.’ So we combined all that into a learning platform.” Often a when a child or teen takes a hit to the head while playing sports, they are pulled to the sidelines to be checked out but put back in the game if they don’t seem to exhibit overt symptoms of concussion. “But signs and symptoms may not appear for up to 48 hours,” said Babul, putting the player at risk of a second and more serious concussion. When a concussion is suspected, the player should be taken out of play and receive immediate medical (Continued on page 39) Karate BC NEWS Karate students pile up medals Staff Writer Penticton Western News Nov 6, 2014 The Taneda Karate Dojo piled up medals on the weekend during the B.C. Karate Open tournament held at the Penticton Lakeside Resort and Casino. Of the 148 medals given out, 65 went to students of the Taneda Dojo, giving them first place in the medal standings. “That’s good,” said sensei Chris Taneda, who was unsure of the number though he tried to do his own count while walking around. “We had quite a good tournament.” Among the winners from Penticton and Summerland were Katie Becker with two gold medals, Simonka Slizek, gold and silver and Declan Riddle, gold and bronze. Caitlyn Riddle, gold and bronze, Jacob Slizek, gold, Aquiles Downer, gold, Ben Say, two silver, Jessica Michaud, silver and bronze, Rosa Kyokushin Karate members performed well at a B.C. Open tournament winning seven medals. They are as follows: Jasmine Howarth bronze; Brice MacKay gold; Kal Kozakevich bronze, Audrey Gosse silver; Connor Black silver; Brandon Potter silver; Kevin McCall bronze. Tynybayeva, two silver, Takeshi Smith, silver and bronze and Alex Wensley, silver. William Biro, silver, Kurtis Marsden, silver, Brett Michaud, two bronze, Owen McRann, two bronze, Paige Clifton, bronze, Akira Mori, bronze, Ho Won Lee, bronze, Jodi Bartier, bronze, Marcus Bartier, bronze and Micka Becker, bronze. Tavian Gaudiuso of Summerland earned bronze in kata and kumite as did Spencer McRann in kata while winning gold in kumite. Members for 40 years in Karate BC Chris Taneda Rick Chernoff Akira Sato Ray Wong Chee Ling Ken Corrigan Fernando Correia James Johnson 35 Taneda said competing in the tournament helps gain more experience and see the different style of karate. “It kind of opens their eyes up and they get to see different ways, people are doing different things in kata,” said Taneda. He also said the students learn more and ask questions to get better and discover the qualities of one style over another. Taneda said there were great performances by many competitors. Also competing were members of Penticton’s Kyokushin Karate Club. All seven of its members won medals. Winning gold was Brice MacKay, while silver medals were earned by Audrey Gosse, Connor Black and Brandon Potter. Earning bronze medals were Jasmine Howarth, Kal Kozakevich and Kevin McCall. The tournament attracted between 160 to 170 athletes. Karate BC NEWS NWSK bring home 15 medals from BCʹs KEN ZAHARIA CAMPBELL RIVER COURIER‐
ISLANDER JUNE 11, 2014 The Northwest Shito Kai Karate (NWSK) competitive team was at the Richmond Olympic Oval for the 40th Annual Karate BC Provincial Championships. The event drew over 500 athletes from all over the province and NWSK did Campbell River proud. Fourteen NWSK athletes had an incredible showing finishing eighth overall, out of the 50 plus clubs who were in attendance, with several personal bests achieved, not to mention an impressive medal count of 15 which included four gold, four silver and seven bronze. intermediate kumite division with 14 other competitors. He was challenged each round but was able to come out on top in three of his four bouts loosing the gold medal match by only one point. The NWSK kata team of Alexander Movold, Jenna Scott and Kyle Barnes finished first out of 12 squads with a stellar performance and some of the highest scores awarded in the tournament. Movold also competed in the boyʹs 10‐11 advanced kumite and kata divisions where his whole hearted efforts earned him two bronze medals. This was Movoldʹs fifth Provincial championships and his best Gracie Dashkewytch, in the girlʹs 8‐9 age group intermediate kata (synchronized forms) division, won a gold medal. In the kata event, performances are decided by judges holding red and blue flags while the athletes do their routines simultaneously, each athlete wearing either a red or blue belt. At the end of the performance the judges then vote on their athlete of choice and the majority vote wins and moves forward. Dashkewytch had three matches in her group of 14 and each match she won decisively with never a flag against her. This was her third Provincial championship and her first Provincial title. Wyatt Ramos fought his way to a silver medal in the boyʹs 8‐9 Other medalists from team NWSK include: Emry Clark, bronze boyʹs kumite 7 and under; Barnes bronze boyʹs 10‐11 advanced kata; Scott silver girlʹs 8‐9 advanced kumite, silver 11 and under weapons kata and bronze individual kata; Liam Gauthier bronze 11 and under weapons kata. Other NWSK team members who had brilliant performances but just missed the medal podium were: Nolan Field 8‐9 novice kata and 11 and under team kata; Quinton Darcy 8‐9 novice kata and 11 and under team kata; Owen Tomlinson 7 and under kumite; Nolan Barnes 8‐9 intermediate kata and kumite. Team NWSK is now focused on preparing for the 2014 Shito Ryu Pan American Championships which will be held in Cancun, Mexico Aug. 9‐10. performance to date. Ethan Gauthier earned himself a silver medal in the boyʹs 7 and under all belts division after loosing a close match to his final opponent from Vancouver. Zachary Rosenthal came out on top in both of his events earning Provincial gold medals in the menʹs 17‐20 kumite and kata divisions. This was Rosenthalʹs first Provincial championship and only his third competition in his karate career. ʺZach is an athlete with great talent and potential, he is definitely a hopeful for team BC one day,ʺ said NWSK sensei Nigel Nikolaisen. 36 Wood third at Provincials CAMPBELL RIVER COURIER‐
ISLANDER JUNE 13, 2014 The Northwest Shito Kai Karate (NWSK) competitive team had incredible success at the 40th Annual Karate BC Provincial Championships as was reported in Wednesdayʹs Courier‐Islander. One athlete was left out of the story and that was Daniel Wood who placed an impressive third out of 18 other competitors in the boyʹs 10‐11 age group in the Kata division. Karate BC NEWS Martial artists score big at Karate B.C. provincials Nikkei and Burnaby Karate Academy dominate advanced/black belt age groups and weights at recent Richmond competition TOM BERRIDGE BURNABY NOW JUNE 19, 2014 Aresh Beytoei won two black belt finals at the Karate B.C. provincials at the Richmond Olympic Oval earlier this month. 68kg and Nikkei’s Miho Kataoka in the black belt open weight division. Kataoka also placed third behind BKA’s Gurkamal Gill and women’s division winner Anisha Virk at u‐
55kg and in the 18 to 20 u‐60kg kumite. Kataoka also placed third alongside Brendan Ly won the men’s plus‐84kg, while also placing second in the 18 to 20 advanced plus‐78kg final. Jai Sanghera and Kyle Macmillan both won their respective 16/17 advanced u‐68 and u‐78kg sparring divisions. Tai Joel was runner‐up to Mand in the teen kumite final and a winner at 14/15 u‐57kg. Jacob Mand won the 14/15 u‐63kg kumite, while Parris Gill placed third. Arjun Gill, Kieran Quan and Masaki Soehardhi also placed top three in 14/15 kumite. Nikkei Shito‐Ryu silver medallists in advanced black belt Matthew Chang was second at 18 to 20 u‐78kg, while Andrew Jones was runner‐up in 16/17 plus‐76kg. In women’s sparring, BKA’s Cindy Jacobs beat clubmate Kim Logan at u‐
Isabel Chan won the 16/17 advanced plus‐48kg sparring, over finalists Vanessa Vung and Vickie Gialleli of Nikkei. Chan also won the 18 to 20 u‐
53kg over Gill. Chan was third in women’s u‐50kg sparring as well. Nikkei’s Claudia Laos‐Loo won the 16/17 advanced kata and was third in u‐53kg kumite behind BKA’s Rika Wong and Zoe Ye. Natasha Harland also placed third. Beytoei won both the men’s black belt kumite or sparring titles in under‐67 kilograms and at open weight for the Burnaby Karate Academy. BKA martial artist Isaac Mand was a triple gold medalist, winning the 16 and 17 advanced u‐61kg, the 18 to 20 advanced under‐68kg and the men’s u‐60kg black belt finals. women’s plus‐68kg. Victoria Barusic of Burnaby in the black belt and third again in 18 to 20 women’s kata or forms. Barusic, who trains at West River Karate in Vancouver, won the 18 to 20 advanced kata, as well as u‐50kg women’s sparring. Harpreet Sidhu won both 18 to 20 advanced plus‐60kg and the Zoe Fong and Stephanie Zaborniak placed first and second, respectively, in 14/15 advanced sparring. Pawan Sidhu and Aya Kitaoka were also one‐two in 16/17 advance kumite. Alexandra Zaborniak won the 16/17 gold at u‐59kg. Angelica Gomez‐Lalonde and Cassia Kitaoka both placed in their respective 14/15 weight classes. Call for Score Keepers and Time Keepers We are looking for Junior and Regional Officials who would be willing to volunteer at the score tables at the 2015 National Championships. Because of your expertise in karate competitions you are a huge asset to us. You will be given free access to the Championships, front row seats, and provided with meals. If you are interested in getting involved, please fill out our online registration form and indicate you are an Official in the comments field. https://docs.google.com/…/1‐W2000w65n3‐iQZ‐vhooH9P…/viewform 37 Karate BC NEWS Beaver Valley Karate Championships and Clinic Rossland News Nov. 6, 2014 Saturday, October 4, 2014 the Beaver Valley Karate Championships took place in the Fruitvale Memorial Hall. Both the Beaver Valley Chito‐Ryu and the new Rossland Chito‐Ryu Karate Dojoʹs members participated in a Registered Amateur Sport Tournament to decide who claim the title of “the best in the Valley”. Attending the Shiai were some very special guests from across the Kootenays and from the Okanagan. Sensei Maurice Doucet from Castlegarʹs Shotokan Karate Dojo, Sensei Roberts from Salmoʹs Shotokan Karate Dojo and our honoured Guest Sensei Chris Taneda, 7th Dan Chito‐Ryu and seven‐time National Kumite champion all attended the event. “Thanks to a grant from the Columbia Basin Trust administered by the Regional District of Kootenay Boundry we had a very successful event,” said tournament organizer Sensei Scott Hutcheson. “The metrics which I base that on, is witnessing the progress of those focused enough to practice more intensely on their training to achieve success for a specific event on a limited timeline. “To see students try competition for the first time and some to try Kumite who may never have otherwise done it unless in a friendly competitive environment where safety was paramount, thatʹs priceless.” Competing in their first tournaments in the Novice Kata Division from the BV Dojo Evrik Bergstrom won Bronze for 4th place, Rosslandʹs Cristobal Ruiz won Bronze for 3rd place, Cooper Reed won Silver and Emily Gardner won the Gold medal. Buckland who won Bronze, Silver went to Meagan Campsall and Tyson Nelson won Gold. In the Intermediate Kata Division BVʹs Dawson Stemler won Bronze for 4th place, Andrea Buckland won Bronze for 3rd place, Tyson Nelson won Silver and Meagan Campsall won Gold. Winning the Best Male athlete award with two Silver and two Gold medals was Tyson Nelson, winning the Best Female Athlete with three Gold Medals and one Silver Medal was Meagan Campsall and winning the most coveted of prizes this year, a Playstation4, with unanimous votes by all the Judges was Meagan Campsall from the BV Chito‐Ryu Dojo. In the Weapons Kata Division Andrea Buckland won Bronze, Tyson Nelson won Silver and Meagan Campsall won her second Gold medal. In the Team Kata Division Team Buckland with LilʹJess, Lohan, and Andrea who won the Bronze medal, Team Rossland’s Pablo Rivas, Tobi Hillis, and Cristobal Ruiz who won the Silver medal and BVʹs Team Tyson Nelson, and In the Black belt Kata duel, Sensei Roberts and Sensei Scott came to a Hikiwake. On Sunday we had a Clinic with Sensei Taneda and five hours training with him was a privilege. Coming together to train were students from the Beaver Valley, Castlegar, Rossland and Salmo dojos. This shows that training in authentic traditional karate is a very social thing to do as well as an activity that provides exercise, sport, self‐
defence, art and culture. Meagan Campsall who won the Gold medal. In the Kumite Division, all fighting for their first times, were Lohan 38 For more information about The BV Chito‐Ryu Dojo call Kelly with BV Rec. 250‐367‐9319 or the Rossland Chito‐Ryu Dojo call Robin & Pam with Rossland Rec. 250‐362‐2327. Karate BC NEWS Concussion (Continued from page 34) attention to confirm the diagnosis, she said. If it is a concussion, the young person will need to rest both physically and cognitively for a period of time before being cleared to gradually return to play and learning. READ MORE: Even without concussion, head injuries still affect learning, memory, study warns – (http://globalnews.ca/news/1023879/
even‐without‐concussion‐head‐
injuries‐still‐affect‐learning‐memory
‐study‐warns/) “Eighty‐five per cent (of concussions) resolve without long‐term consequences. But if it’s not managed properly, you could have long‐term consequences.” That could mean persistent symptoms that can include headaches, dizziness, light and noise sensitivity, disturbed sleep, depression and poor concentration. “I frequently say, ‘Would you rather be out for two days or for two months or for two years?”‘ said Babul, referring to players who may balk at being sidelined so they can be medically assessed for possible concussion. “The goal of this tool kit is to give parents and coaches quick and easy access to accurate, up‐to‐date information so they can be confident they’re giving kids the best possible care for the best possible recovery,” she said, noting that the site is funded by the B.C. Ministry of Health. “We hope it will become a resource in every home and at every sporting event in B.C., across 39 Canada and beyond.” READ MORE: Mood swings, memory loss first symptoms of brain disease in hockey, football players – (http://globalnews.ca/news/793690/) Dr. Paul Echlin, a sports medicine specialist and researcher who has long treated patients with concussion, said having government‐supported online information “is awesome.” “It’s already out there, but you can always use more,” Echlin said from Burlington, Ont., where he practises. “It’s non‐biased, non‐commercial (and) the more discussion, the more information out there, the better. “Concussion is epidemic and it is important for government to take the public‐health rein and use all the resources possible to alter the course of this (injury).” Karate BC NEWS Shito Ryu celebrates anniversary with another successful tournament By Mike Davies Campbell River Mirror Oct 21, 2014 The 10th most practiced sport in the world, ahead of both golf and baseball in participation levels globally, karate was again celebrated in our community last weekend, this time at the Campbell River Community Centre. “We had 104 people from all over come to participate,” said Roy Tippenhauer, sensei of the Shito Ryu Karate Club, who hosts the annual tournament, known as the Challenge Cup. “Everyone seemed to have a great time. I look around and see all the smiling faces … and I know it went well.” This year was the tenth annual Challenge Cup and the move to the Community Centre from the various school gymnasiums around town that had hosted it in the past was a natural one, according to Tippenhauer. “It’s a fabulous venue,” he said. “Because it’s a community event, we’d been wanting a community venue for a while. If the tournament gets much bigger, we might have a hard time hosting it there, but for now it really works well for us.” The Shito Ryu Club had impressive results at their own tournament, as well. 47 of the 104 competitors came from the home dojo, and took home 50 awards, including 18 gold, 13 silver, and 12 bronze medals. Fourteen of their group who did not win awards nevertheless achieved personal bests. Despite having ten national champions from his dojo over its 30‐year span and regularly feeding students into the provincial and national tournaments (they currently have four students on the provincial team), Tippenhauer said his biggest accomplishment is the confidence gained by those who study with him. 40 One of the teams of 14‐15 year‐old girls, who came up from Nanaimo to participate in the 10th annual Challenge Cup, perform a demonstration of team kata for the crowd between other events — Mike Davies/The Mirror “It’s the kids I’ve seen go from a shy child to an adolescent or adult with confidence and contributing to society,” he said. “Whether they stay in the sport is irrelevant, but what they learn through karate – such as confidence and self‐esteem – will always be with them. “Too much emphasis is placed on winning today and not enough on developing and learning to have the confidence needed to succeed in all parts of life,” he added. The club would particularly like to thank the Karate BC certified and trained officials who attended the tournament, and the volunteers who made the event possible. “We would also like to thank the parents of members and the members themselves for the continuous support of our discipline,” Tippenhauer said. Karate BC NEWS A karate trip of a lifetime, representing Canada in Mexico Campbell River Courier‐Islander Aug. 20, 2014 By Ken Zaharia Five members of the Northwest Shito Kai (NWSK) competitive karate team experienced the opportunity of a lifetime representing Canada at the 16th Shito Ryu Pan American Karate Championships in Cancun, Mexico, Aug. 6‐10. The five young athletes, Liam Gauthier, Jenna Scott, Alexander Movold, Daniel Wood and Kyle Barnes, had trained hard all year with this competition on the top of their priority lists. ʺNeedless to say, all their dedication and hard work definitely paid off,ʺ said NWSK) sensei Nigel Nikolaisen. ʺEach athlete had one of their best performances to date during these championships with some very impressive and decisive victories over tough international competitors from other countries such as Mexico, USA, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic just to name a few.ʺ The competition drew over 300 competitors from 16 countries. Gauthier and Scott, both nine years of age, were up first for the club. The mornings all begin with the Kata (forms) event, where athletes perform their routines side by side, red vs. blue for a panel of judges. Upon completion of the patterns the judges then vote either red or blue as the victor of the match. In Scottʹs first match she met a competitor from Mexico. After a very solid performance she came out on top with a convincing 5‐0 victory. commented Nikolaisen who accompanied his five athletes to Mexico. Scott then met a fellow Canadian from Quebec in the final where she also won with a 5‐0 majority using her favorite Kata Shisochin. In Kumite (fighting), Scott fought her way to the gold medal match and again wound up facing a fellow Canadian from Quebec. She was able to come out on top in the match earning herself her second gold medal of the day. ʺThis was Jennaʹs second showing at the Shito Ryu Pan Ams and her second time with a double gold performance,ʺ said Nikolaisen. ʺAnd that pretty much set the pace for her all the way to the final,ʺ ʺKeep your eye on this girl, she has a very bright future ahead.ʺ When it came to Gauthier, he was faced with very tough adversaries in his first two rounds of Kata where he came out on top with 3‐2 victories in both matches. In his gold medal match, after a stellar final performance, he wound up with the silver medal after a 3‐2 loss to a competitor from Mexico. In his Kumite, Gauthier had a very strong opponent first round. He stood in there well, scoring very clean points but wound up not wining his match and was eliminated. ʺNonetheless his performance was his best to date without a doubt and now he has shifted his focus to his blue belt which he will be graded for next week,ʺ said Nikolaisen of Gauthier who began karate in 2011 at the age of five. (Continued on page 43) 41 Karate BC NEWS Students schooled in karate ability Cowichan News Leader Pictorial Jun 12, 2014 By Don Bodger Competing at home obviously appealed to a great number of Fernando Correia School of Karate members. A tournament at the Island Savings Centre in Duncan was well‐
attended, with about 100 competitors from around the Island. ʺIt was an exciting day for a lot of the athletes, as for a lot of them this was their first karate tournament,ʹʹ noted FCSKʹs Loretta Schwab. ʺFor the seasoned athlete/
competitors, they all had a great time and the results show.ʹʹ Most of the FCSK competitors placed in the top four. ʺWe are very pleased and proud of all the training and effort out students put into preparing for the tournament,ʹʹ raved Schwab. Fernando Correia School of Karateʹs Jacob Marcelic 42 ʺOnly a small percentage of our school actually competes and for those that did, we are so proud.ʹʹ The other students who train so diligently were a valuable asset to the school, being supportive at the tournament and in the dojo,ʹʹ she indicated. FCSK results were as follows: Kyden Huntley — silver, boysʹ seven years and under white to yellow belt kata. Josh Mayea — bronze, boysʹ seven and under white to yellow kata. Mitchell Lindstrom — gold, mixed nine years and under white to yellow kata. Madeline Hart — silver, mixed nine years and under white to yellow kata. Michael Lindstrom — bronze, mixed nine years and under white to yellow kata. Brody Cooper‐Simpson — bronze, mixed nine years and under white to yellow kata. Stephanie Lindstrom — gold, girlsʹ nine and under orange to green kata. Mia Stewart — silver, girlsʹ nine years and under orange to green kata. Paige Hart — gold, girlsʹ 10‐11 years orange to green kata; bronze, girlsʹ 10‐11 orange to green kumite. Tyler Mayea — gold, boysʹ 10‐11 white to yellow kata; bronze, boysʹ 10‐11 white to green kumite. Charlie Morris — gold, boysʹ 10‐11 orange to green kata. Josh Luby — bronze, boysʹ 10‐11 orange to green kata; silver, boysʹ 10‐11 white to green kumite. Arjan Manhas — bronze, boysʹ 10‐11 blue to brown kata; bronze, boysʹ 10‐11 blue to brown kumite. Joe Luby — gold, boysʹ 12‐13 orange to green kata. Talon Hird — gold, boysʹ 12‐13 orange to green kumite. Jacob Marcelic — silver, junior 12+ long weapons; gold, junior 12+ short weapons; silver, boysʹ 12‐13 blue to brown kumite. Josh Fernandes — silver, boysʹ 16‐17 blue to black kata; bronze, boysʹ 16‐17 bblue to black kumite. Taka Maruntani — silver, menʹs 18+ brown to black kata; gold, menʹs 18+ brown to black kumite ‐75 kg; gold, menʹs 18+ brown to black kumite. Team Kata Juniors — gold, Fernando Correia School of Karate. Karate BC NEWS NWSK in Mexico (Continued from page 41) In the 10‐11 boyʹs division, NWSK was represented by Movold, Wood and Barnes, all 11 years of age. This was the biggest junior division in the competitions with 24 boys in the group. In the kata event Wood had an unfortunate stumble in his first match. Though the performance was solid enough to still earn him two out of the five votes available, he was eliminated early. But that didnʹt hinder Wood in Kumite. He had three matches into the quarter‐final, putting on quite a show for the judges with patience and athleticism. Unfortunately Wood missed the medal rounds after losing his match to the eventual gold medalist. ʺDaniel rose to the occasion at this meet and put his best effort forward,ʺ said Nikolaisen. ʺThough he did not medal, itʹs safe to say this was one of his best performances at a competition so far in his very young career.ʺ Barnes missed the medal rounds in Kata by a single flag. ʺHe was quite disappointed after his first decisive victory but was not hindered by the early elimination in Kata when it came time to fight,ʺ added Nikolaisen. Barnes had three matches into the medal rounds not having one point scored on him. He would meet the eventual gold medalist in the semifinal losing his match by one point to place third. ʺIt was a tough loss to take for Kyle because if he would have won he would have been facing teammate Alex Movold in the gold medal match,ʺ said Nikolaisen. Three Nanaimo karate club athletes receive their black belts Nanaimo Daily News July 10, 2014 Three athletes with the Nanaimo Shotokan Karate‐Do club are the proud recipients of their first‐degree black belts. Seamus Clark, Jonathan Funk and Alexandra Hamilton received their Shodan, first‐degree black belts after a gruelling exam in the areas of movement, sparring and combinations. The club also announced that Jessica Burgoyne passed her second Kyu brown‐belt exam ʺwith flying colours. ʺThese students have showed the true karate spirit, even through their schooling years, by mastering the art of Karate Do, training three nights a week in the dojo and at home on their own,ʺ said the clubʹs secretary and treasurer, Cindy Beaulieu, in an email to the Daily News. ʺThey started at a young age and realize how karate has made them stronger in many ways.ʺ The four competitors have trained under the clubʹs sensei, Nairn Sempel. Nanaimo Shotokan Karate‐Do club has a 47‐year history in the Harbour City. 43 ʺKyle had the toughest draw out of the three boys and worked very hard to earn his placings. Though he did not win the gold medal he set out capture his amazing heart and solid determination are something to be very proud of.ʺ Movold started his day with three solid Kata performances and wound up facing a very tough adversary from the Dominican Republic in the gold medal match. In the end he wound up losing the match 4‐1 and settled for the silver medal. ʺIt was a brilliant showing in Kata for Alex,ʺ said Nikolaisen. Movold carried the same tenacity from Kata into the Kumite event where he worked his way through four opponents and earned himself a spot in the final where he met an athlete from Mexico. When all said and done Alex wound up losing the match and won his second silver of the day. ʺFor all but Jenna Scott this was the first International competition outside of BC,ʺ explained Nikolaisen. ʺThese five kids are what karate is all about and they would love to thank their community for all support they received. “The list of sponsors is vast and the amount of support invaluable. Thank you Campbell River!ʺ The club would also like to thank the band THEO (Derek Lorentz, Gerrit Dooris, Tom Skillman and Nikolaisen) that played at their beer burger fundraiser. Karate BC NEWS Campbell River Shito‐Ryu shines at BC champs Campbell River Mirror June 5, 2014 Antonia Bellefluer and Valerie Doyon competed with impressive results. Karate BC hosted its 40th anniversary provincial championships this weekend at the Richmond oval in Richmond and athletes from Campbell River Shito‐Ryu attended with impressive results. Brake unfortunately didn’t make the team as she was ill and couldn’t reach her personal best at this tournament. In the recreational category held on Saturday Zasi and Christina Tsymshychin competed and both achieved a personal best in their respective category. Osstrosser competed in the 14‐15 kumite (sparring) division fighting to a bronze medal. He had also recently competed at the BC Winter Games in the 12‐13 division and had moved up to the 14‐15 division for this tournament. Zasi in the 8‐9 intermediate and Christina in the 10‐11 advanced division. Neither came out with a medal but were happy to achieve their PB. Bellefluer competed in the 16‐17 brown black kata and kumite division and received a 3rd place finish in kata. She lost her final match and placed 5th in the kumite division. In the girls 12‐13 novice division Lucy Vi received a silver medal in kata, and, not to be outdone, her sister received a silver medal in kata and a gold in kumite. Doyon competed in the 16‐17 kata and minus 59 kg kumite division placing third in the kumite division and third in the kata division beside Antonia. Cody Chamberlin Julia Beaton received a silver for kata and a silver in kumite. David Jordan Laing competed in the adult men’s intermediate division and came out with a silver in kata. Club karate instructor Roy Tippenhauer said, “I was so impressed by Cody’s work ethic over the last couple of months. Coming from winter games and not placing motivated him to improve and he certainly did that. Also on Saturday, a standout for this tournament was Cody Chamberlin who competed in the 12‐13 advanced (brown black) kata and kumite (sparring) division. “I don’t emphasize winning as our goal but rather personal best. He did that. Congrats to Cody” Chamberlin recently competed in the BC Winter Games and didn’t medal but was motivated to improve. He was rewarded on Saturday with a 5th place in kata and a gold medal in kumite. On Sunday, the B.C team preliminary tryouts were held with four people from Campbell River Shito Ryu competing. Casey Brake, Calen Osstrosser, You couldn’t wipe the grin off his face or off his proud parents faces either. In this kumite division, Karate BC has three athletes who were top five at the Karate Canada National championships held earlier this year with Doyon taking a silver at that event. On Sunday, Doyon made her way through the draw and faced her rival Lee Shalene behind whom she placed at the national championships. She fought a fabulous fight pushing Shalene to her limit. Doyon lost the match and settled for a much deserved bronze. Doyon also challenged up in the 18‐20 black belt division where she got gold in the kumite division. Advancing to the BC team squad (Continued on page 45) 44 Karate BC NEWS Karate student cruises to provincial gold Penticton Western News Jun 10, 2014 By Emanuel Sequeira Members of the Taneda Karate Dojo put on a show at the B.C. provincial karate championships at the Richmond Olympic Oval May 31‐June 1, picking up 33 medals, including nine gold. Will Wright won two of those gold medals in the kumite divisions. “It was fun,” said Wright, who gave up just two points in the tournament against one opponent in the senior division. “I fought pretty well. I beat everyone in both divisions by a spread of eight (automatic wins).” Wright, who is competing in the Junior Pan Am Games in Peru at the end of August, said the championship wasn’t overly competitive, but it still gave him an idea of where his training is and what he did well. Other club results included Jodi Bartier bringing home a gold medal in kata and bronze in kumite. Taylor Hunter also brought home a bronze in kumite. Taneda karate students are from Penticton, Summerland, West Kelowna and Kelowna. The 33 medals by the club included two silver and 12 bronze medals. “I think we did really well. We have a lot of good up‐and‐comers,” said Wright. Coast students earn medal at Karate provincials Coast Reporter June 12, 2014 Students from the local karate dojo in Roberts Creek returned home with several medals from the 2014 Karate Provincials held in Richmond May 31 and June 1. Caio Machado, Taysha Grindon and Lazar Williams of karate sensei Dallas Grieve qualified for provincials this year through the zone five qualifiers’ tournament. The two divisions for sport karate are kata and kumite. Kata is a set of regulated moves to the air demonstrating power, agility, speed and control. Kumite is essentially sparring with a point system. Caio, age 14, qualified in a kata and kumite division, bringing home a bronze medal in his 14/15‐orange/
Campbell River (Continued from page 44) from Campbell River Shito Ryu are Osstrosser, Bellefluer and Doyon, final selection will take place in the fall. Doyon will be heading to Lima, Peru this August for the PKF Pan American karate championships. Next year will be the Campbell River Shito Ryu’s 30th anniversary with Sensei Roy Tippenhauer starting the club in 1985. 45 green‐kumite divisions. Grindon qualified for the women’s black belt kumite. She came just short of earning a medal. Williams competed in a U21 middleweight division and the men’s lightweight division, bringing home a bronze medal in each division and earning a spot on team B.C. for the third season in a row. Overall, the experience and results were beneficial for the entire dojo. A tournament will be held on Oct. 18 to celebrate this event. Many students have gone on to national and international tournaments and have travelled all around the world with karate tournaments. “I would also like to congratulate all the Karate BC athletes from other clubs in Campbell River who attended this tournament. “Vancouver Island is a powerhouse for karate talent and the club instructors are doing a great job with their groups,” said Sensei Tippenhauer who is Vancouver Island Karate Society head coach. Karate BC NEWS U12 Skills Challenge at the 2014 Provincials The event and circuit were primarily organized by Donna Gardecki and run by five other volunteers. There were two to three people overseeing each station. 46